


Work With Me Here

by HyperKid



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb can’t bend to save his life, Fluff, Found Family, Minor Angst, Miscommunication, Molly is a bendy fuck, Other, mentions of Molly’s death, minor crack, soft, workout buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23906578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Caleb needs a little something that only Beau can help with - unfortunately, this involves having to talk to Beau. Over time a morning workout becomes a routine, becomes something they can bond over.Sometimes you find family in the strangest places.
Relationships: Background PolyNein, Beauregard Lionett & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Caleb Widogast & Beauregard Lionett, Empire sibs, Team Fuck Up
Comments: 10
Kudos: 144





	Work With Me Here

**Author's Note:**

> HK: ...   
> Mollymauk: ...   
> HK: ... Look.   
> Mollymauk: Hey remember when this was gonna be a cracky lil snippet?   
> HK: I can explain?   
> Mollymauk: And now you’ve made it a feels rip and pile of mush?   
> HK: ... No that was my explanation, you’ve got me there.   
> Mollymauk: What happened to the cracky little snippet?   
> HK: My brain said “and then Molly’s gonna go be a bendy fuck at them”.   
> Mollymauk: No that was still crack...   
> HK: And then my brain said “HEY GUESS WHO’S DEAD”.   
> Mollymauk: It was me?   
> HK: It was you. I may still not be over it?   
> Mollymauk: *largest, most heaving sigh* May?   
> HK: Look if you want me to get over you you gotta stop being so fucking compelling. The crack is still there! And lots of lovely fluff and found family!   
> Mollymauk: Not everyone wants angst with that!   
> HK: Not everyone casts Blood Maladict with four hitpoints either! 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Fluff overload, brief mentions of a lack of Molly and character trauma 
> 
> Disclaimer: Clearly I am not responsible enough to be given characters, I only go and do this with them!

No one was really sure how it began, in all honesty. Beau worked through her morning routine of stretches, push ups, and strange contortions with a devotion that might have surprised her teachers. The Nein got used to walking around her in the mornings. 

Caleb, on the other hand, was decidedly not athletic. He had spells to learn, books to read, a cat to pet. So why did he find himself heading over to join her? 

The first time, Beau had glanced up as he approached, but kept going, assuming he needed either something behind her or some quick, banal question. When he dropped gracelessly beside her she arched a brow, switching hands for her pushups. 

“Something you need, Caleb?” 

“I was wondering...” he trailed off, his gaze sliding sideways and to the ground beside them. Beau kept going for a little while, then poked him with her free hand. 

“Wondering?” She prompted semi-patiently. Caleb gave her a weak smile. 

“I wondered if you could perhaps teach me to be a little more...” he waved a hand vaguely at her, lost for words again. Beau didn’t help, raising an eyebrow slowly as she switched. 

“A little more?” She prodded eventually and Caleb sighed. 

“A little more agile. It would be good to be a little harder to hit in battle.” 

Brows furrowed, Beau pumped through a couple more reps and rolled back onto her feet. 

“So you want me to help you limber up?” She asked bluntly, folding her arms and frowning down at the wizard. Caleb hesitated a moment, then hauled himself to his feet as well to put him on a more even footing. 

“I suppose... yes. I do not exactly... I have not taken much care of myself,” he explained weakly, sinking into himself the longer she looked at him. 

Raising one eyebrow, Beau glanced at him up and down. There wasn’t a lot of actual wizard under the thick coat, long scarf, and heavy tunics. But she’d seen him move when they were actually in combat, and... yeah, not taking care of himself was putting it mildly. 

“So do you wanna stretch with me in the mornings or what?” She asked, already getting exasperated. She was about half way through her morning routine, and didn’t exactly want to get into any of the stranger stretches with Caleb standing over her. 

He probably wouldn’t ~actually~ tip her over, but she wouldn’t fucking put it past him either. They’d been together for a couple of weeks now and while they’d risk their lives for the other in battle, with that had come the comfort to fuck with each other. 

Caleb flushed red to the roots of his hair. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and finally he nodded, turned, and walked away. 

Beau’s jaw dropped as she watched him go and she threw both hands into the air. 

“So fucking do it, Caleb!” She called at his retreating back, and he sped up. He walked almost out the other side of the camp without slowing down. 

**

The second time, Beau had talked to Fjord. She had no idea what to do about the situation, and since Caleb clearly didn’t either, she went to their expert. Beau constantly suspected that he’d get sick of it and tell her to fuck off but he hadn’t yet. 

Either way, the half orc had suggested that they just try it rather than talking about it again, so Beau waited for a morning where Caleb happened to be sat somewhere with enough space for them to stretch. She marched over, arms folded, and was promptly hit in the head by a rock. 

Whirling on her heel she glowered across the camp and met Fjord’s gaze. The half orc raised a brow at her, folding his own arms and then spreading them demonstrably. 

Beau glowered at him a moment longer, flung her arms wide, and rounded on Caleb again. By this time the wizard had noticed her and was frowning up at her quizzically. 

“Hey Caleb, do you want to stretch with me?” She growled almost as a challenge, and he swayed back away from her. 

“Uh... thank you, Beauregard?” He said slowly, gaze darting around their camp for Yasha and not finding her. 

Beau closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and forced the scowl from her face. 

They were trying to be friends. And it wasn’t like she was against running him through her workout; she just... wasn’t sure how to take him wanting her to. She’d managed to get her tone pretty much back to cordial by the time she opened her eyes and nodded to the cleared space beside them. 

“We can do it here. What kind of stretches are you used to?” 

Visibly relaxing at the lack of aggression, Caleb rose slowly and looked at the dirt like it had asked the question. 

“None, pretty much,” he admitted with a wry smile, glancing across at Beau for just a moment before looking away, “certainly nothing close to your level.” 

It took a moment for Beau to realise that he probably meant it as a compliment and her hackles settled again. She even managed a half smile as she punched his shoulder, shifting into the space. 

“We’ll start off easy. Touch your toes.” Settling her feet shoulder width apart, Beau leaned forward gracefully until she could spread both palms flat on the ground in front of her. 

From the corner of her eye she could see Caleb shuffling himself into position beside her, carefully checking her posture before trying to imitate it. Curious, she glanced over as he bent, his hands reaching... just below his knees. 

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” The words blurted out before she could stop them and Caleb straightened at once, turning away like he was ready to run. She just about managed to catch the end of his scarf as she straightened quickly to tug him back. “No! No, sorry, Caleb, I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry, it’s fine!” 

Stumbling over the words, it was an actual effort to not shift her rising annoyance from herself onto him. The rest of the Nein were so pointedly not watching they might as well have been staring, Jester telling some story in an overly loud, cheerful voice. 

Caleb shook Beau off, cherry red again. 

“It’s fine Beauregard, I’ll just go,” he muttered, tugging futilely at his scarf for a moment before abandoning it in her hand to climb onto the cart. 

Beau stared at the grubby fabric for a long moment, then tossed it into the cart after him. 

She wasn’t gonna ~force~ him to stretch with her. 

** 

They’d been through Zadash before either even thought to try again. Having seen Caleb in a few more fights, and just seeing him move more in general, Beau couldn’t deny she knew why he’d asked. 

Caleb moved like his joints were poorly oiled hinges, sometimes with audible fucking creaks. Sure, sleeping on the rough ground had her like that in the mornings too, fuck they all had their fair share of groaning being back on the road but Beau could just stretch it out and most of the others had something of their own routines to limber up. 

Caleb... just wrapped himself in his coat and hunkered down on either cart or horse for the day. Which was probably just as bad for him as the ground honestly. 

Fjord didn’t actually need to come and prod her into talking to him this time though, which was a distinct improvement. No, she went over herself, from the goodness of her fucking heart, and pretty much expecting him to book it again. 

“Caleb. Wanna stretch out with me?” 

And for a moment, Caleb clearly considered running. But Yasha was with them this time, and she gave him a reassuring nod and a smile, and he visibly swallowed before turning to Beau. 

“Alright...” he said warily, and Beau nodded. 

Didn’t try smiling, because apparently her face looked fucking weird like that. Just got into position, nodding to the spot beside her. 

“Just bend as far as you can, and hold it with me, right?” 

Caleb nodded and shifted into position, spine creaking like a rusty door as he bent over. Beau flinched in spite of herself, forcing her attention back to her own stretch. 

After the straight bend, they moved on to angles, rolling out neck and shoulders, and some basic twists. Beau found herself enjoying it, honestly. Giving the instructions was a little awkward at first, but Caleb seemed to be taking this as seriously as his magical studies and he followed her directions to the letter. 

It felt... good. And maybe just a teeny bit smug as she watched Caleb creak and groan his way through just the stretches of her morning work out, his posture noticeably relaxing towards the end. They made it all the way through the routine that morning, and by the end Caleb had a very small smile on his face. 

“That felt... nice,” he admitted quietly, refusing to look at her. Worked pretty well for Beau, who wasn’t keen on seeing if he could spot the flush in her darker cheeks. 

“You did good,” she told him gruffly, and be did look at her then if only to give her an incredulous glare. It made her laugh, surprising both of them, and then Caleb smiled too and things relaxed once more. 

“I will get better,” the wizard promised and Beau grinned, punching his shoulder again. 

“Damn right you will. I’m your teacher!” 

** 

They were just beginning to build up a morning routine of their own when Molly decided to join in. It had been about three days of pretty good workouts by the time the tiefling sauntered over, and Caleb was already creaking less when he moved. 

Beau almost felt bad for her immediate suspicion the moment he asked if he could join them. It was actually pretty great to have a workout buddy again, one of the only things she’d missed since leaving the Cobalt Soul. So despite her distrust of the tiefling, she’d invited him to pick a spot. 

Maybe she’d wondered if they would all start doing it together as a group. Maybe she’d had a moment of weakness. 

She really, really wished she’d been surprised to glance up from their first stretches and seen him upside down on one hand. Caleb was doing his very best to steadfastly ignore him, moving through the workout with a single mindedness Beau couldn’t help but admire. 

She’d had... a little less luck not watching Molly contort himself into various positions. Son of a bitch was so fucking bendy tieflings must not have had the same spines as humans. 

Or about half as many ribs. 

He clearly only wanted Caleb’s attention though, his tail “casually” flicking through the human’s sight lines every few seconds as he twisted himself into something new and obscene. 

When Jester began commentary, Beau gave up and kicked out, tripping the blood hunter half way through an attempt to weave his shoulders through his own knees and sending him sprawling. He took it well, bouncing back to his feet with a broad grin and not bothering to even pretend innocence. 

“Quit it,” Beau told him, more weary than really annoyed. It had been a fuckin’ learning experience. 

Molly tried to pout, but couldn’t get it past his smile. 

“I’m just stretching,” he protested without an ounce of effort behind it, swaying sideways enough to nudge Beau with his shoulder as he rose. She snorted and nudged him back, stepping quickly away from Caleb so he didn’t become collateral damage. 

The wizard was still steadfastly working through his stretches and ignoring the entire group. It was the kind of work ethic Beau had always hated at the Cobalt Soul, but now she suspected that that might have been a hint of jealousy. 

She’d never been good at quiet and still. Not even for stretches. Hell, until she’d met Dairon she’d barely bothered with her morning routine once a week. 

Having a buddy was helping in more ways than one. 

So of course Molly had to be a pain in the ass about it. 

Beau could only resist for so long, and soon Molly had dragged her into a contest of who could fold themselves into the stupidest position. Jester was more than happy to narrate that too, brightly and cheerfully obscene as she described pose after pose by how hard it would be to fuck in. 

Fjord occasionally ventured an opinion and Nott blatantly egged both sides on as Beau rolled into a one handed hand stand, catching one of her own feet and arching her body to keep stable. 

“At LEAST eight out of ten!” Jester cheered happily and Beau couldn’t help grinning. 

Not exactly a workout Caleb would ever keep up with, but she was getting a good fuckin’ stretch out of it. Molly stuck his tongue out at her with a good natured laugh, cracking his knuckles. 

“Oh, you think that’s cool? What about no hands?” 

It was an odd enough question that Beau flipped back onto her feet, wondering if he was going to try and suspend himself by his tail or something equally ridiculous. If not equally... 

At first it seemed like he just rolled into a regular handstand, palms braced flat against the ground on either side of his head, but he didn’t rise. Instead he kicked long legs up, swaying them slowly a few times to stabilise and stretching out his tail. Raised his hands. And balanced himself on his fucking horns. 

“That’s gotta be cheating!” Beau declared indignantly, doing her very best not to snicker. “Horns are bullshit!” 

“That they are,” Molly agreed smugly, spreading his legs into an almost horizontal slits and bracing his hands at his knees. Jester burst into uproarious giggles, finally rising and skipping across the campsite to examine the position. 

“You’re gonna topple right over if someone fucks you,” she declared with a laugh, poking tickling fingers at Molly’s sides and being batted away by his tail. Molly rocked a little, and turned it into a smooth roll into another splits. 

“Interference,” he declared dramatically, arching his back and cracking his neck. 

Not bothering to hide her own grin, Yasha came from behind and lifted him easily under the armpits until he could set his feet on the ground. 

“You’re going to hurt yourself doing that,” she told the tiefling gently, though her fond smile suggested she’d told him many times before. 

“Especially if you fuck in it,” Jester agreed with a giggle, and Molly waved a hand dismissively at her. 

“That’s why we have you darling, to heal all our stupid mistakes!” 

“There’s not enough healin’ spells in the world,” Fjord refuted with a laugh, rising from the fire and hauling his pack back into the wagon. “Are you lot ready to head out?” 

Rather predictably, Molly turned to Beau before committing. 

“Truce?” He offered with a grin, holding out a hand. Beau hesitated a moment, and in that moment red eyes shone with mischief. “Yasha can always help us settle it this evening.” 

Unable to stop herself Beau’s eyes moved instantly to the large woman, who shrugged with a smile on her face. 

Beau was pretty sure she wasn’t physically drooling. 

Mostly sure, at least. 

And then Caleb was up and moving past her, patting Beau gently on the shoulder as he headed for the cart. 

“I did not get to finish so I’m riding today,” he declared, immediately regretting the words and both tieflings pounced gleefully on the innuendo. 

Beau found herself rooted to the spot a moment longer, lost in the possibilities of what Yasha could do to help. What kinds of positions the barbarian could bend her into... 

She only shook herself out of it when Nott shoved a pair of reigns into her hands, giving her a grin with entirely too many large, jagged teeth. And kept drifting back to that same place for the entire rest of the day. 

** 

After Molly died, it was Caleb who went to Beau. 

Not right away. Not until they had Jester, Fjord, and Yasha back, safe in the bosom of the group and were half way to Zadash. Not until they had a little time to breathe. 

None of them had been up to anything even vaguely resembling routine. Without the discipline of Ophelia travelling with them, they might not even have headed back to Zadash. There was just... a large, colourful, loud gap torn out of their world, bleeding every conversation into silence. 

It was actually the day after Yasha woke. The day after she left them. Somehow, seeing Molly’s grave again had made it all real. 

Brought it home for them, maybe for the first time since it actually happened. There was no respite; no distraction, no friends in need. Just that gaudy coat proper up on two sticks. 

The weight of it crushed all conversation for the rest of the day. 

By the next morning, Caleb had worked out what had to be done. They had to... not move on. Not so fast. But they couldn’t stay in this stasis either. They had to remember who they were. To not let everything be crushed to nothingness by the space where Molly should have been. 

He’d have fucking loathed that. 

And the first step to that was by getting what they could back to normal. 

Beau was glowering into the fire as the camp began to stir. She’d not even bothered to keep up her own training; Caleb had half expected her to throw herself into it wholeheartedly. To work herself into exhaustion, punishing her body until it was too drained to keep her awake. 

She might have been a healthier individual than him. But he doubted it. 

She didn’t even glance his way as he approached, though her posture shifted subtly. Shoulders tensed. Back hunched. Curled in on herself, ready for an attack. 

Caleb hesitated a moment, considering words. Considered trying to explain to Beauregard what he was thinking. What he was afraid would happen to the group. In the end, he decided to keep it simple. 

“Will you guide me through your stretches again, Beauregard?” 

For a long moment he didn’t think she’d answer. That she would ignore him and stare into the fire. He didn’t know what to do if she did. How to fix this, if he could hold them all together by himself. 

The look she turned on him was hollow, drained, and exhausted. Dark bags weighed under each eye, certainly the same as those on his own face. She studied him for a long moment, then rose without a word and nodded, moving into position beside him. 

She barely spoke a word through the whole routine, just named each stretch as they began or changed to it. That didn’t matter; Caleb was almost lightheaded with the relief that on some level, she understood. That she was going to help. 

Together, they would all get through this. There was simply no other choice. 

** 

It had grown back into routine by the time they reached the sea. Caleb was actually showing some improvement, enough that Beau changed out the set, switching some stretches out for more complex versions and extending others based on what he needed. 

He was certainly moving better. More fluid in his spell casting, and better able to keep up with the group. They were all improving in their own ways both individually and working together. It was... 

Well, Caleb sometimes wondered if the illusion of competence was making them reckless. 

Exercising on the ship did have its own challenges. The rock of the waves tipped back and forwards unpredictably and made it hard for even Beau to keep her balance. For the first few days, just working out how to walk onboard ship was almost challenge enough. 

It put them back almost all the way to their original routine, struggling to keep steady in any position. 

And made it feel that much sweeter by the time they left when they had worked back up. 

Trying to rebalance for land was another interesting experience. 

** 

By the time Fjord asked to join them, Caleb actually felt competent enough to give him a few pointers. Of course, Fjord wanted to join the full workout, while Caleb stuck to the stretching portion. 

He didn’t especially want or need to throw a punch, and if he had to run he had his Expeditious Retreat ready and waiting. Anything much past the morning stretches felt too much like Volstrukker training and brought back bad memories. 

But he felt good. His bones didn’t creak when he moved anymore, and he knew he was more graceful. Less likely to trip over his own feet, less likely to pull a muscle casting a particularly aggressive Fireball. 

Having the daily stretches also helped when they were sleeping rough, helping him to work out aches and pains of the road. He felt more... present than he had in over a decade when his muscles were all pleasantly warmed from the routine. 

Felt like his body was entirely his own, blood pumping gently through every finger and toe. Felt in control of himself and not like a stranger hijacking someone else’s body. 

Beau had been a little worried when Fjord first asked to join. Like she’d thought Caleb might see it as an intrusion. 

Maybe a little like she remembered Molly asking to join, all those months ago. 

A lot like that memory still hurt. 

But that early morning routine had become bonding time for the humans before Beau rolled into pushups, sit ups, and muscle exercises, and Caleb returned to his spellbooks. Empire sibling time. 

Fjord slotted in seamlessly. 

Maybe months ago, when they were first getting to know each other, Jester would have been shouting cheerful encouragements the first time he tried to join Beau on a jog. When he tried to keep up with her pushups, two handed to her one and still lagging behind. 

Fjord was large, strong, and had maintained his working muscle mass from his life as a sailor. 

Beau was ripped halfway to hell and all of her muscle was toned and conditioned for combat. 

Caleb couldn’t help smiling as he watched covertly from behind his book when they shifted to endurance training. The rest of the camp peacefully bustled around them, acting like it was completely normal. Like Fjord had always joined Beau. 

Not wanting to make him self conscious. 

And despite being almost ten years her senior, Fjord followed her lead like an eager pupil. The earnest student that sat with Caleb to talk about magic, or listened to Caduceus tell him of the Wildmother. 

He had opened up in a truly incredible way to all of them now, not ashamed or embarrassed by his lack of knowledge. And as he worked now, muscles straining even while Beau capped herself to his pace, there was such an open, honest joy in him. In trying something new, and learning. 

Nothing at all like the cold, imposing half orc who’d held a blade to Caleb’s throat all those months ago. 

They’d come so, so far. 

Rubbing mist from his eyes, Caleb forced his attention back to his book. It still struck him sometimes, still caught him off guard; when had they slipped from companions into family? 

It didn’t matter. It had definitely happened, and there was no way Caleb would be letting this family slip away from him. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: This was gonna be a companion piece to some art waaaay back in late 2018 so if anyone remembers who that was, let me know! It....... sat on the back burner so long it grew into something huge and “wonderful”? It grew. Like yeast. And ate my brain.


End file.
